Heroes Unite
by phantomwriter12
Summary: AU. Gaia has launched her plans to destroy the gods, and this time she has help. A new prophecy has been revealed and only a team of seven can stop Gaia and her new ally. Can they learn to work together in time?
1. Prologue

_Palace Waiting Room- Mount Olympus_

Hades paced back and forth. Zeus was making him wait. Again. Things were supposed to change after the Titan War, what with that young upstart Percy forcing everyone to get along, but some things never change. He exhaled, restraining himself from blasting a nearby marble column while repressing a shiver of cold. _Damn Zeus and his high elevations! _Hade thought. _We don't have this problem in the underworld! _He scowled. Why was he doing this? He was Hades, God of the dead, savior of Manhattan and the rest of the world! _Because _he thought _You still need the key, and unfortunately, Zeus has it._ He laughed bitter at the irony. High and mighty Zeus probably didn't even realize what kind of power he had. Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, he heard the rumble of thunder. _Oh good _he thought bitterly._ Mr. High and Mighty lets me in. _He enters the throne room. Immediately in front of him was twelve massive thrones, each one occupied. Hades rolled his eyes. "Great." He muttered. "The whole gang's here." No one acknowledged him. It seemed as though they were all trying to ignore him except for Hephaestus who looked at him with a look of utter contempt, and Athena, who was studying him with an unreadable expression on her face. "Brother Hades" Zeus began. "Are you aware of why we are here today?" _as if it wasn't I who got this whole thing together, despite your best efforts to delay it. _Hades thought, trying to hold back the white-hot rage. "Of course Zeus, I am aware of why we are here." "Very well then, you may present your case." Hades cleared his throat. "As all of you are aware, our recent battle with the Titans has started to wake up Gaea. She may not be fully awake yet, but she's already found a new champion. A secret weapon." Murmurs went around the room but no one spoke up. "We need a plan to defeat her before she can fully awake." "We already have a plan!" Hephaestus shouted. "Ah yes," Hades replied sarcastically, "And it's a fine plan. Assuming you don't mind the millions of casualties." Hephaestus's face reddened. "I didn't think you'd mind, seeing that you'd be the one ruling them." He said pointedly. Hade's face darkened. "I do not." He growled "need more subjects in the underworld! The mortals are doing fine enough job already! Even with Daedalus working on new routes and highways, we're still backed up for centuries! Do you have any idea the amount of overtime that's being put in?" Zeus rolled his eyes. "Alright, Alright, brother; we've all heard this before, but how is you're plan any better? Besides, this has all happened before; we know exactly what Gaea will do!" this earned a round of applause from several other Olympians. Hades collected himself and began. "It certainly is a risky plan. But Gaea isn't playing by the old rules, she has herself a new weapon, one that could destroy us all! And besides, there's another prophecy, one that I believe I have correctly interpreted-

"Yes the prophecy!" Zeus sneered. "We all know how well interpreting those go!" The Olympians murmured. They knew what he was talking about. The disastrous big three pact made to prevent the previous prophecy from happening just made things worse. "besides," Hephaestus continued "this so-called 'secret weapon' you speak of, you don't have any proof of it! You don't even know what it is!" Hades glared at Zeus. "yes, that's true." Hades said. "Ha! I knew it!" Zeus declared. "But you said you have proof- and didn't you say that whatever this threat is comes from the- ah- what did you call it? The Phantom Space? Isn't it part of the Underworld?" Hades gritted his teeth. "It's called the Ghost Zone, and it separated itself from the underworld centuries ago, after a spirit named Pariah Dark led a successful rebellion. I have no more jurisdiction there than I do in Osiris's court or the halls of Valhalla!" Hades smirked. "But, of course, you would know this if you ever bothered to get our high and mighty butt off that throne once every few centuries!" Hades paused. Why was he doing this? Sure, his arrogant brother deserved every bit of the insults hurled his way, but was this really the way to handle things? _But of course, _a voice in the back of his mind replied _we need to show him that we can't be bossed around. That we won't stand up to his oafish bullying. _Hades was starting to feel uneasy as he repressed another shiver. Where were these thoughts- "Now, brother," Zeus warned. "Keep talking like that, and I will be forced to take action." Hades vision flashed red, causing him to forget all about the voice. "Action?" He echoed incredulously, "The only time you take action is when the danger is breathing right down your neck, and even then only when you have no one else to hide behind!" Zeus's eyes glowed with electricity. "that's enough, Hades! Apologize and stand down at once or-"Or what?" hades sneered, his hand filling with a black flame. "That's enough!" a new voice chimes in. both heads swivel towards it. "I said, that's ENOUGH!" Athena roared. "all this bickering is getting us nowhere! While you two argue, our enemy is getting stronger! We need to come up with a plan! Now can the two of you act like adults or are you going to continue to bicker like children?" Zeus and Hades stare at each other for a tense moment. Finally, the electricity fades from Zeus's eyes and the fire vanishes from Hades's hand. 'Very well, daughter." He turns back to Hades. "You may proceed." Hades had to keep himself from lunging at his brother. He took a deep breath and continued. "As I was saying, I may not know what has been taken, but I do know that it is extremely dangerous. We need to take action. I need the key." The other Olympians glanced at each other nervously. Finally, Athena spoke up. "If the ghost zone is as independent and hostile as you claim, then how do you know something has been stolen from there?" Hades smirked. "I may not be the god of wisdom, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeves. I've had a spy in the ghost zone for centuries." Hephaestus snorted. "Some spy!" he exclaimed "in there for centuries and she can't even tell you what's been stolen." Hades face reddened. "The ghost zone isn't so straight forward, especially when Clockwork is involved." "Clockwork?" Hephaestus asked "Isn't he-" Hades looked down. "Yes. Clockwork is a protector of the ghost zone and part of my early experiments." "**Your** experiments?" Hephaestus. Hades rolled his eyes. "Fine then, Our experiments. "experiments?" Zeus asked, puzzled. I don't recall you performing any experiments, Hades." Hades sneered. "The amount of things you don't recall could fill an entire library full of books!" for a moment it seemed like they were going to fight, but then they continued. "As I was saying, Clockwork was a part of an experiment of... ours…. back before the ghost zone had permanently declared its independence from the Underworld. We took something from each of us. One of clockworks time controlling medallions. Stygian iron… and…" Hades paused. "And what, brother? Zeus asked, having a feeling he knew exactly where this was going. "A small scrap piece of Krono's original scythe." The room exploded. "QUIET!" Zeus shouted. Everyone was silent. "Now brother," Zeus growled. "How, exactly, did you get your hands on a piece of our father's original weapon? We destroyed it centuries ago!" Hades held his ground. "Many things wind up in the Underworld, not just souls." He replied. "I am the god of wealth, after all. I don't know if it chipped of during battle, or if it freed itself when we destroyed Father, but either way, I had my hands on it. Hephaestus then forged these items together into a key." "A key." Zeus repeated. "Yes a key. A key that can open a door to any point in time and space." "I see." Zeus muttered. "And why did you make this key?

Hades shrugged. "Why not? A weapon like that could have come in... Handy." Another ripple of murmurs went through the room. "If that is the case, then why are you here? It sounds like you have everything you need." Hades grimaced. "Not quite. You see… I wasn't quite upfront with Hephaestus about my intentions. And when he found out, he and Clockwork devised a plan. Believing that no one should have this power, they created a vault and sealed it in here. This vault can only be opened by consensus of all twelve Olympians." Zeus looked at Hephaestus, who nodded in confirmation. "That may be, but why would we allow you to wield so much power?" "Because," Hephaestus interrupted, "Clockwork and I designed a failsafe into it. It can only be used three times before dissolving into a powder so fine that not even I could piece it back together." A moment of silence passes then Zeus speaks. "If we do allow you to move forward with your plan, how will you get them all together?" Hades smiled. "I already have a plan." "Oooh, is it to take the leaders, wipe their memories and mix them all up in the hope they learn to get along before kill each other?" Hera asked. "NO!" Everyone shouted at the same time. Zeus rolled his eyes. "We've been over this. That plan is stupid and we're not going to do it!" Everyone agreed. "I thought it would work." Hera muttered. "Anyway, as I was saying," Hades continued "my plan is already in place. All I need is the key." Another moment of silence. "Very well. We shall vote on it. All opposed to Hades's plan raise your hand." Zeus raised his hand. He sighed. "And all for Hades's plan raise your hand." Everyone else raised their hands, including Hades. Zeus shook his head. "Very well brother. We will try your way first. The Olympians stood up and joined hands, forming a circle. Hephaestus began chanting, and as he did, a bronze column shot up from the ground, shooting up about twelve feet in the air. A portion of the top crumbled, revealing an ornately carved stone box, which dissolved, revealing a key. It was five inches long, black as midnight. It seemed to radiate pure power. Hades went to retrieve it. "Well as fun as this has been," he said sarcastically. "I've got to go save the world. Again" As he walked out he heard Zeus call out to him. "I'll be watching you. You will fail, and when you do, I'll be there to put my plan into action." Without even turning around, Hades called back "Bring. It. On." Hades continued walking, hoping he didn't sound stressed. His plan wasn't quite as polished as he had made it sound. He still needed to get them all together before Gaea's forces could get to them. He'd beam them all together in a heartbeat if he could, but the Fates were adamant about one thing: No direct interference. He smiled. He knew two demigods that were up to the task- that is if they didn't kill each other first.


	2. Chapter 1

Demigod dreams stunk. Percy had known that for years. The reason for this is that demigod dreams are rarely just dreams. They often show something bad that is going down, or act as way for godly communication, usually with some sort of dangerous quest. This one however was definitely odd. He was standing on a road, surrounded by rows and rows of corn, stretching as far as the eye could see. He heard a rustling in the cornfield, and reached into his pocket to pull out his trusty sword, riptide. However, it wasn't there. A figure emerged from the cornfield. It was a boy, about Percy's age, maybe sixteen or seventeen. He was tall and muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a t-shirt and jeans similar to Percy, except that his shirt was a deep purple, where Percy's was orange. The blond haired boy seemed to be surprised by Percy, and went to draw a weapon that wasn't there. The blond haired boy walked onto the road and stopped a few feet short of Percy. He seemed to be assessing Percy. They stood there, neither one sure what to do, when a voice spoke up, "It's about time you got here." Percy knew that voice. Even if he didn't, he would be hard pressed to mistake the man in the black robes with tormented faces trying to escape it, or the face of the man that looked remarkably like the face of Adolf Hitler, minus the mustache, as if the man could be his brother, or his father. "Hades." Percy said coolly. "Lord Pluto." The blond haired boy said, reverently. Percy glanced over at the other boy._ Lord Pluto? _ He thought. _Since when has Hades been called 'lord'? And why is that kid calling him Pluto? _Percy opened his mouth. "Great. Three questions. First- where are we, second- who is this guy, and last, and definitely least, what do you want?" Hades smiled "As for your first question, lets just say you're on neutral ground. A half-way point, if you will." "That doesn't answer my question" Percy pointed out. Hades ignored him and continued. "as for the identity of the other boy, I'm not at liberty to say." Percy rolled his eyes "So you won't answer my first question and you can't answer my second… can't wait to hear the third answer!" he said sarcastically. Hades ignored him and continued as if he had never spoke. "And to answer your final question, I need you two to go on a quest for me." "Great." Percy said sarcastically. "Why don't you get your son to do it?" Hades face reddened. It looked for a moment like he might strike, but he calmed himself. "Nico cannot be involved in this! And besides, he is currently…. indisposed." "indisposed?" Percy echoed. "As in you got rid of him?" Hades face reddened again. He scowled. "No." he replied barely keeping the fury out of his voice. "He is currently on an undercover mission. Unfortunately, he cannot be reached at the moment." Percy frowned but said nothing. There was a tense moment between them, finally broken by the blonde kid. "Lord Pluto," he began. "If you don't mind me asking, what is this quest you have summoned us for?" Hades looked at him. "Finally, I'm shown some respect!" Percy rolled his eyes. Hades continued. "Your quest is simple. There are some people that I need for the two of you collect and bring to me." He handed them both a scroll. "This contains all the information you need." "Um. Hades," Percy spoke up, "This scroll is blank. And also, don't we need a third member for a quest? And also also how do I find this kid if you won't even tell me who he is?" Hades smiled nastily. "Now, where would be the fun in that?" His eyes filled with black flames as the corn fields around them began to shake. "Now WAKE UP!" he roared.

Percy shot up in his bed, awake. "Well that stunk." He mumbled to himself. He then felt something in his hand. He pulled off his covers and saw that he had the scroll that Hades had given him in the dream. He began to unroll it. "Fantastic. At least I still have a blank-" He paused for a moment as he realized it was no longer blank. He tried to read it, but it seemed even more jumbled than usual. Only one set of words seemed to make any sense "Rachel Dare" _Of course!_ Percy thought _maybe Rachel can make sense of things. _As he headed to Rachel's cave, he passed the Athena cabin. He paused for a moment. He wanted to tell Annabeth about this development, but she was currently still on Mount Olympus, helping design and rebuild after the Second Titan War, and besides, Percy had a feeling that he needed to do this alone. He arrived at Rachel's cave, torches glowing within. He passed through the beaded curtain in the entryway and into the cave itself. It didn't look like a cave inside, though. It was fully furnished with modern appliances and furniture, and the walls were covered in Rachel's own original artwork, giving the place a slight psychedelic feel. Rachel was sitting on the floor, meditating. Without opening her eyes, she spoke. "Took you long enough, Percy." Percy's eyes widened. "How did you know-"" That you were coming?" Rachel responded, opening her eyes. She tapped a finger on her temple 'I've had a feeling for a couple of days now." "A feeling of what?" Percy asked. Rachel looked towards him, but her eyes seemed unfocused as if looking at something far away or out of focus. "I'm not sure. I've got s strange feeling, a rumbling of sorts…" she trailed off. "I get strange rumblings too," Percy interjected. "have you tried Pepto-Bismol?" Rachel ignored him. "I fear things have changed. The Prophecy of Seven no longer applies. Something else is coming. It could change everything." Percy frowned. "Not so sure about the whole 'everything will change' thing, but isn't that a good thing? The Prophecy of Seven didn't exactly sound like a great time." Rachel's eyes focused on Percy, her eyes seemed to drill a hole into Percy's skull. "No." She said in an eerily calm voice. "something has changed something is… different. This isn't how this is supposed to go... it must be…. It must be…." She doubled over and dropped to her knees. When she looked up, her eyes were red. "Zkhq ilyh zruogv froolgh dqg phujh dv rqh, zkdwv zurqj lv uljkw dqg uljkw lv grqh. Ilqg wkh pdq rxw ri wlph dqg eulqj klp krph. Wkh zdb wr ylfwrub eb klp lv nqrzq. Exw vkrxog wkh iorzhu fuxpsoh, doo vkdoo eh orvw. Wuxvw lq hdfk rwkhu, ru zh'oo doo sdb wkh frvw" she chanted in a deep voice that wasn't her own.

Silence, and then "Julius… Change… Julius" She whispered in her own hoarse voice, and she collapsed." "Rachel!" Percy exclaimed, rushing over and picking her up. "Rachel, wake up!" She did not respond. He picked her up and rushed her to the big house. He knocked on the door urgently. After what seemed like an eternity, Chiron answered the door, in his wheelchair disguise. "Percy!" He exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here so-" He stopped when he saw Rachel draped over Percy's shoulder. "Perhaps you and Miss Dare should come inside." He said. Percy carried Rachel into the big house and followed Chiron into his office. "Why don't you lay Miss Dare on that couch." While Percy was laying Rachel down, Chiron went to the corner of his office to a cabinet and pulled out various bottles, and a small stone bowl. He turned to Percy. "Since Miss Dare seems currently incapable of telling us anything, perhaps you should tell me what's happening." Percy hesitated. "I'm not sure where to begin." "Well, then, why don't you start at the beginning? Why were you at Miss Dares in the first place?" And so Percy began explaining starting with the dream with Hades, the strange boy, and the even stranger scroll, finding Rachel's name on the scroll, and finally, what happened while at Rachel's cave. While Percy was telling the story, Chiron combined the ingredients from his cabinet in the stone bowl to form a foul-smelling, green paste that he then applied to Rachel's forehead as Percy finished his story. "-And then I came straight here. Do you think she'll be alright?" Percy asked. "Miss Dare will be alright, Percy." Chiron replied. "But for now she must rest. Besides, it seems like we have more pressing issues to deal with." "But Rachel-" Percy began. "Will be fine." Chiron said firmly. "Now, do you still have the scroll?" Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment. He unfolded it and handed it to Chiron. "Do you have any idea what this says?" Chiron was silent for a moment. 'this parchment is heavily enchanted. It will reveal another set of clues once you reach your destination. As for what's currently written, I believe it is an odd mixture of Greek and Latin- one that hasn't been used since-" Chiron stopped himself, apparently have said something he shouldn't have. "Since what?" Percy asked. Chiron seemed lost in thought half muttering to himself. "But if this is true, then that means- but no, why would Hades do something so-" "Chiron!" Percy interrupted loudly. Chiron jumped-or at least as much as he could. He seemed to remember that Percy was in the room. "Right. So, the scroll. I do believe that it describes, in much detail a location that you must travel to. It says that you must meet your companion at the following location and await further instructions." "Does it say where I'm supposed to meet my 'companion'? Chiron cleared his throat. "it says here, 45.468567 degrees north, 122.711502 degrees west." "Gee," Percy responded, "Lucky for me, I'm a human GPS… Oh, wait I'm not. What is that supposed to mean?" Chiron chuckled. "You may not be a human GPS, but you have the next best thing. This came for you a few hours ago." He reached under his desk and pulled out a brown package with phrase 'Hermes Express" Stamped across the top of it.

"I believe this is from Miss Chase. Perhaps she knows something?-" Chiron paused as Percy opened the package, and out fell a laptop with a triangle on the lid. "Daedalus' laptop. Percy breathed. "But why would she give it to me?" "Perhaps," Chiron replied thoughtfully, "She knew you would need it more than she would." Percy nodded. After all this was the only piece of technology a demigod could use safely. "But how would she know? I, mean, she's so busy up on Olympus…" Percy thought he saw a flash of an emotion appear on Chiron's face. Was there something going on? Percy shook it off. If there was something Chiron needed him to know, he would tell him. "So now we can find out where I'm going!" Chiron opened the laptop and began imputing the information. "According to this, your destination is in Oregon." "Oregon?" Percy echoed. "Yes. Portland to be exact. It seems to be an address for a Starbucks." "So I have to travel across the entire country to meet a mystery guy at a lousy Starbucks?!" Percy asked incredulously. "It seems that way." Chiron replied dryly. At that moment there a loud beeping noise emanated from the laptop. "That's not good." Chiron said in a low voice. "What is it?" Percy asked. Chiron's eyes scanned the screen. "I set up a program to analyze the scroll to identify any additional enchantments on this scroll. Apparently, you have less than forty-eight hours to reach your destination before the scroll explodes." "Great." Percy said sarcastically. "Just what I needed a deadline and the possibility of exploding… Anything else in there, like summoning laser sharks or invisible ninjas? Or is one death threat enough?" Chiron ignored him. "There's only one way to get there on time. You'll have to fly" Percy looked confused for a moment. "But I can't fly! If I do Zeus…." Chiron looked at him "Not on a plane, Percy." "But then how…" Realization dawned on him as he exclaimed 'Blackjack, of course!" Percy put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A few seconds passed and they heard a loud thump outside. They left the big house to find a magnificent black Pegasus waiting for them on the lawn. _Hey, Boss, _Blackjack started. _What crazy adventure are we going on this time? _Percy grinned. "We need to get to a city called Portland. Ever heard of it?" Blackjack snorted. _Portland? Yeah I've heard of it. They've got some great doughnuts there, but its all the way across the country! _Percy had to hold back a laugh. Blackjack always had doughnuts on his mind. "Well we need to get there and do it in under forty-eight hours." _Forty-eight hours?! _Blackjack echoed. _ I don't know, Boss… _"Fine, then." Percy replied. "You can miss out on all the doughnuts I'm going to get." _Okay, you've got yourself a deal, Boss. _Blackjack replied. Percy climbed onto Blackjack. He looked at Chiron. "Don't worry, Percy. Miss Dare will be in good hands at the Apollo cabin. She'll be taken care of. And I'll make sure to notify Miss Chase of what's going on at the moment." Relief washed across Percy's face. "Thank you." He said. Chiron handed him a small leather pouch. "Here. It's not much, but you might need it, though let us hope that you don't." Percy pocketed the pouch. "Thanks." He said. "Now, let's go, Blackjack!" The Pegasus spread its wings and took off into the sky quickly shrinking into the distance until it was nothing but a tiny speck and vanished. "Good luck, Percy." Chiron said quietly. "You're going to need it."


	3. Chapter 2

_Camp Jupiter_

Jason woke up, alert. What on earth was that strange dream? Was he really contacted by a god? He tried to puzzle it out. It couldn't be real, could it? Gods don't just contact demigods like that and besides, what about that other kid? He seemed to be aware of the existence of gods, indicating that he was also a demigod, but Jason had never seen him before, and he didn't have an SPQR branding, meaning that he wasn't a member of Camp Jupiter. And then there was the fact that he seemed… familiar with Pluto; annoyed, even. And he didn't call him Pluto, but rather Hades, his Greek name. What did all of this mean? _Reyna._ He thought. _She'll have a better idea of what's going on. Or if I have to… Octavian._ He shuddered at the thought of going to Octavian for anything, but if he had to, then he would. This was clearly too big too handle alone. Careful not to awaken his cohorts, he left the barracks. The sun had just barely begun to reveal the tips of the first rays of light, and the camp seemed quiet, though not for much longer, Jason knew from experience. He also knew that he'd find Reyna at the Temple of Bellona. Every morning she'd go to her mother's temple to meditate and ready herself for the day. But when he got there, he was surprised to find out that someone else was there with her. This other kid was talking with Reyna and had his back turned to him, but Jason recognized him immediately. Nico di Angelo, the mysterious ambassador from Pluto! Jason frowned. That kid from his dream- didn't he mention someone named Nico? And Pluto had responded that he was undercover… Jason shook his head. _There's only way to find out what's going on._ Taking a deep breath, he approached the two. "And he finally joins us!" Reyna exclaimed. Jason looked puzzled. "You we're expecting me?" Reyna looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Mr. Di Angelo has informed me he has important information, and won't reveal it until you arrived." They both looked at Nico. "Well?" Reyna prompted. Nico cleared his throat. "As you are aware, I was sent by my father, Lord Pluto, as an official ambassador to Camp Jupiter. What you weren't told was that I have been waiting for a signal. One that has finally arrived." "What kind of signal?" Reyna asked suspiciously. "The nature of the signal is irrelevant at this time, however, I can tell you what it means." He turned to face Jason. "He must be sent on a solo quest." Reyna face reddened. "A solo quest?!" She shouted. "Even if I did decide to let Jason go on a quest, which would take weeks to clear in the senate, there's no way I'd get the clearance for a solo mission!" "But Lord Pluto commanded-" Nico began. "I don't care if Jupiter himself commanded!" Reyna shouted. "There is absolutely no way-" she paused as Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. Jason immediately thought of the parchment in his possession, but this one was different. It looked ancient, and it was blackened in places, almost as if it had been burned. Jason frowned, puzzled. It couldn't possibly be- He glanced at Reyna. It appeared she was having similar thoughts, as she looked at it with a mix of awe and suspicion. "Yes." Nico said simply. "Excuse me?" Reyna asked. "To answer your question." Nico replied. "Yes this is a page from the Syllabine Book." Reyna paled. "But that's impossible! It was-" "Burned?" Nico interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "You'd be surprised by what turns up in the underworld." He handed it to Reyna. She read it, her face an unreadable mask. Finally, she spoke. "I shall raise the signal and summon an emergency senate meeting. E shall determine whether this is legitimate, and what to do with it." Nico looked relieved. "Thank you-" he began. "Not so fast!" Reyna barked. "We haven't determined anything yet. If your claims prove true, then we shall go from there, however if they are not-" Reyna's gaze softened, became almost sympathetic. "Then you'll be joining your father much sooner than expected." Nico met her gaze. "Very well, then." There seemed to be a brief, silent battle of wills, but finally, Reyna looked away. "We shall convene in the senate in forty-five minutes. Do not be late."

Jason watched Reyna walk away. He then remembered about Nico and his dream. He turned around to ask Nico, but he had vanished. "Looking for someone?" a voice came from behind him. Jason turned around and came face to face with a purple ghost of an old man. "Oh, hey Vitellius." Jason replied. Vitellius was a lar, or a house ghost. He was one of the oldest, although he could be… eccentric at times. "Chin up!" He cried "In my days, a Roman Praetor would never be caught looking so glum! Why Julius Caesar-" he started rambling on about proper Roman behavior and how things were done in his days. Jason sighed. Vitellius could go on for a very long time if allowed. "Oh look! Jason exclaimed. "Is that a centurion with an infantry weapon?" Vitellius looked livid, or at least as much as he could with a purple, translucent face. "Not on my watch!" He cried, and he flew off in search of the non existent troublemaker. Realizing that he didn't have much time, Jason ran back to his barracks to put on his toga. As he changed, he thought about Reyna and Nico's conversation. Reyna was right to be upset. The very idea of a solo hero going on a quest was so.. un-Roman. And yet while the Praetor part of him riled at the idea, another part of him was… excited. He never truly felt like he fit in, even after he was elected Praetor. Reyna was kind enough, and he had a few friends, but most others seemed to either barely tolerate him, or even despise him. Once again, his thoughts turned to the boy from his dreams. There were legends; rumors, really, that there were some demigods who chose not to find Lupa and the Wolf House, but rather traveled the country alone, like nomads. _Or Greeks. _Jason pushed that thought away. The Greeks and Romans had never gotten along, leading to Rome wiping them out. The idea that some people might still prefer the old way still was an uncomfortable subject at camp, especially around the Lares. Jason had never believed the rumors, and yet, how else could he explain the boy from the dream? He was obviously a demigod, and a powerful one too, Jason could feel that much. He clearly wasn't from Camp, so he had to be a rouge demigod… right? Just then, a horn blasted in the distance, shaking Jason out of his thoughts. He saw that his bunker was empty. Everyone else was gone "Can't be late… again." he muttered to himself.

He made it to the city limits, where he was stopped by a marble bust of a man. "And just where do you think you're going?" The bust asked. Jason sighed. He didn't have time to deal with Terminus. "You know exactly where I'm going. It's where everyone else is going!" Terminus tisked. "If everyone else was going to the Little Tiber to drown themselves, would you go as well?" "Well I-" "I didn't think so!" Terminus crowed. "You're a rule breaker, Mr. Grace, and I do not tolerate or appreciate rule breaking. So I'm going to-" he paused for a moment, tilting his head as if listening to someone. "Yes. Yes. Yes. I understand. Of course." He faced Jason again. "You get a pass this time, Mr. Grace. Do not let me catch you breaking the rules again." Jason was confused Terminus never let anything distract from dishing out punishment to rule breakers. "A pass? From who?" he asked. "From a certain NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS!" Terminus snapped. Deciding not to push his luck, Jason didn't press the subject. Rushing on by the border, Jason did not realize until later that Terminus did not scan him.

Jason finally made it to the Senate, where it was already in session. A skinny, blond kid was in front of the Senate, ranting. Jason scowled. Octavian. Of course. Octavian was the camps Augur, and allegedly descended from Apollo. Not only was he a high ranking official, but he came from an old and highly respected family. A power hungry snake, Octavian did not attempt to hide his desire for the praetorship. "- the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my entire life! It goes against everything we stand for as Romans!" He paused for a moment, sensing something- or someone. He grinned. "Ah," he began dryly. "Our esteemed Praetor and man of the hour has arrived. How gracious of him to grace us with his presence, eh?" His eyes shone with malicious humor. Not wanting to get baited into an argument, Jason said nothing. "As I was saying," Octavian continued. "This idea of a solo quest is ridiculous!" He paused a moment. "Even worse, it's _Greek."_ Commotion rose over the senate as Octavian spit on the ground in disgust. "But why should we stop there? Perhaps we should start mummifying our dead like the Egyptians, or lighting boats on fire like the Norse?" He laughed derisively. "We don't need oracular signs to tell us this is a bad idea, I don't care who says it!" Just then a massive column of flame erupted on the stage and a figure stepped out. It was a large man nearly seven feet tall and muscular; he was wearing a leather jacket, white shirt, camouflage pants, a utility belt, combat boots, and sunglasses. Strapped to his back was the largest sword Jason had ever seen. He didn't know why, but suddenly, he felt a surge of anger build up in him, as if he wanted to fight everyone in the room. The man on stage turned to Octavian. "Jason Grace?" He asked. Trying not to scream or pass out in fear, Octavian shook his head and pointed out into the audience. He growled and snapped his fingers. Jason then appeared on the stage. "Jason." The man smirked, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal miniature flames where his eyes should have been. "So you're the little punk who has been chosen." Jason's hand involuntarily clenched. He didn't know why, but he really wanted to punch this guy in the face. The man laughed, seemingly reading Jason's mind. "It's okay, kid. I have that effect on people. After all, war is my specialty." Suddenly, all the pieces fell together. Jason felt stupid. If it hadn't been for the rage emanating from his aura, he would have already pieced it together. "Lord Mars." He said, kneeling. "God of War."

Mars's face flickered in confusion for a second before grinning and saying. "Yeah. That's me. And you Jason Grace must go on a quest alone, yadda yadda, save the world and whatnot." Octavian looked like he was about to say something , but then looked at Mars's sword and said nothing. "Although." Mars continued, " I don't understand why he thinks its you, when my own daughter singlehandedly killed a drakon! Have you ever done that, punk?" Confused, but not wanting to openly question him, Jason shook his head. Mars chuckled. "Now, I heard there were some… concerns with this little quest. Anyone care to share?" He pulled a hunting knife out of his belt and started casually examining it. "Well?" He prompted after several minutes of silence. "No, my lord." Reyna spoke up. "As Praetor of this camp-" "Co-Praetor." Octavian muttered. No one paid attention to him. "I authorize the solo quest of Jason Grace as recommended by Lord Mars. All for? Every hand went up, including Octavius, who was still staring nervously at Mars. "All opposed?" Not a single hand went up. A nervous tension filled the air. "Alright then! Let's get this started!" Mars shouted, snapping his fingers. Jason blacked out. He woke up standing on the bridge above the Little Tiber, just outside of camp, along with Reyna, Mars, Nico, and Octavian. Mars looked at Jason and said "Time to get moving kid." "What? How?" Jason asked. "Not the brightest kid, eh?" Mars replied, waving a hand. At the end of the bridge facing the entrance to the mortal world sat a classic Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was black with yellow lightning bolts stretching down both sides of the frame. On top of the red seat sat a brown leather bag and a golden helmet.

"Lord Mars," Jason said carefully. "I appreciate your gifts, but I am still unsure of where I need to go." Mars grunted. "Demigods. Always needing extra help. You still got that scroll?" Jason reached inside of his pocket and pulled it out. "Yeah, but it's-" "Open it." Mars interrupted. He opened the scroll and it glowed, blinding him. Suddenly, he could see a location in his mind. He knew where he needed to go, even if the location seemed… odd. The light faded and he was back on the bridge. Mars had vanished. Reyna seemed confused. "Are you all right? You pulled out that scroll and stared at it for a few minutes. You were starting to smoke." Jason looked at Reyna, unsure of what to say. Nico stood at a distance, looking awkward and out of place. Jason turned to get on his motorcycle when Octavian spoke up. "Wait!" Jason groaned inwardly. What did he want now. "You can't leave without an official blessing from the camps augur!" he began closing in on Jason chanting in Latin. Finally he approached and embraced him. "Something's fishy here." He hissed in Jason's ear. "And I'm going to find out what. Your days here are numbered, Grace!" _Just one push_. Jason thought. _He'll never be a problem again._ Shaking off that thought, Jason backed off and got on his motorcycle. With one last glance at Reyna, he vanished into the mortal world.


End file.
